The painting of an aircraft is a relatively challenging and time-consuming process due to the wide range of dimensions, the unique geometry, and the large amount of surface area on an aircraft. For example, the wings protruding from the fuselage can interfere with the painting process. The height of the vertical tail above the horizontal tail can present challenges in accessing the exterior surfaces of the vertical tail. Adding to the time required to paint an aircraft are complex paint schemes that may be associated with an aircraft livery. In this regard, the standard livery of an airline may include images or designs with complex geometric shapes and color combinations and may include the name and logo of the airline which may be applied to different locations of the aircraft such as the fuselage, the vertical tail, and the engine nacelles.
Conventional methods of painting an aircraft require multiple steps of masking, painting, and demasking. For applying an aircraft livery with multiple colors, it may be necessary to perform the steps of masking, painting, and demasking for each color in the livery and which may add to the overall amount of time required to paint the aircraft. In addition, the aircraft livery must be applied in a precise manner to avoid gaps that may otherwise expose a typically-white undercoat which may detract from the overall appearance of the aircraft. Furthermore, the process of applying paint to the aircraft surfaces must be carried out with a high level of control to ensure an acceptable level of coating thickness to meet performance (e.g., weight) requirements.
As can be seen, there exists a need in the art for a system and method for painting an aircraft including applying complex and/or multi-colored images in a precise, cost-effective, and timely manner.